Long time, no talk

Hey. You remember this page? Apparently I didn't because I haven't really been giving updates too much. Really, the baseball and softball seasons are upon us and I have been real busy on the field. Additionally, all four kids have been playing baseball this season.
This has been the hardest season of my life. Not because the umpiring is hard or the crowds have been rowdier but because I have had to sit several times and watch other people umpire. Umpires I didn't know and really, really didn't like their methods. Umpires doing my kids games who don't work as hard as I do. It drives me crazy. I have had to sit in right field as not to pull the "I'm an umpire" card and then yell crazy at the ludicrous stuff they were doing or allowing to happen.
But then I umpired. Umpiring for me is therapy. One game, surrounded by tons of parents in the stands, two teams of Junior division girls, and coaches, I found it peaceful in an introverted kind of way. I could be the introvert, do the job, not have to interact with too many people, and help my community. Maybe that's why I have taken to umpiring the way I have over the years.
So anyways, what's happening on the road to San Bernardino?

1. I have been going to Bloomington Little League on Tuesdays for the last month and a half to do softball games. People really didn't appreciate me too much last year but this year they are fawning over the fact that I am back because they see how hard I work. I'm volunteering. Everyone else at the field is getting paid, many of the kids I trained last year are getting paid this year which I guess is good for them. Not necessarily for the league but I did my job last year to make them better umpires and I believe they are getting better games this year because of the groundwork I laid last year. That community needs people who care about the game and know the rules. I hope I helped give that to them last year.

2. I really need to do more games up in Rancho Cucamonga. I've done a couple for Jon at Alta Loma but I am going to the softball regional as a District 71 umpire. I have to get up there and thank them for believing in me. Especially as All Stars comes along.

3. I have been doing quite a few games for Menifee Valley. We have a really good group of umpires there who really care about the kids and really know the rules. We have an awesome group of junior umpires who are eager to learn more, improve, and work games. It is a good place to be.

4. Today I was invited to a softball invitational at the Western Region complex in San Bernardino hosted by District 49, the High Desert. Martin Hoover, the DA for 49, hosted the tournament and he does a great job. He is a great man and a good friend. The games were fantastic. Today I got to work 3rd base on one game and 2nd base on a second game. You may say, "Oh, it's only 3rd and 2nd..." I say, "IT WAS A CHANCE FOR ME TO WORK SOMEWHERE ELSE BESIDES THE PLATE! THANK YOU LORD!"
It was good to get out there with guys who are going to work this regional with me, guys who have worked the regional before me, and guys who have done World Series and fine tune my mechanics. There are an amazing group of volunteer Little League umpires out there who are more than happy to help any umpire improve. I feel I learned a lot today that will help me in July.
As I mentioned to someone else, when discussing our Junior Umpires, I love working with kids who are eager to learn and take any constructive criticism to heart and improve immediately. I hope me, as a 42 year old Junior Umpire, still have the heart to improve when given feedback.

5. I finally ordered my trading pin. IT IS AWESOME! I'll post pictures when I get them in June. Just remember that my baseball regional pin was a dalek umpire. I wonder what my softball regional pin could be?

That's enough for right now. It was a long day and I can feel the sun still shining on my face. Perhaps I should have used sunscreen....

Mid January Update

I said the biggest challenge for me on the road to San Bernardino is losing weight. The day I got the letter, I was at the highest weight I had ever reached, 350 lbs. I have been doing some stepping but mainly, I have been watching what I eat. I have cut down portion size tremendously. I have cut out snacking, or if I do grab a snack, it's something like a Fiber One bar or a 100 calorie pack of almonds.
This morning, the scale read 325.4. That's 25 pounds in a month. I know 25 pounds a month won't continue as the beginning is the easy part but it's a good start.

Upcoming events:
January 28-29: Level 2 Rules Clinic in San Bernardino
Februay 3-4: Umpire training for District 28
February 11: 5k with the family at Lake Perris

That's all I really wanted to get out there. Weight update.

Time to wind up the blogging machine again

When I received my invitation to the Intermediate Regional in 2013, I started up a blog to basically journal the experience from letter to championship game. That blog can be found at http://tonytheump.blogspot.com . It's nice to go back and live some memories, as I tend to forget memories a lot.
I was born and raised in San Bernardino. My dad, brother, and I would spend days up at the Regional complex every August watching games, playing on the bike course (where Chavez Middle School is now), and running up and down the concrete bleachers. When I became an umpire, my dreams were to umpire on that field. I have done so a few times now, on weekend invitations for Alta Loma Little League, and it is a beautiful place to work. The kids love it and I, as an umpire, dreamed of doing this while kids played with a chance to go to the World Series.
Now it is happening. I have been invited to San Bernardino to do the Softball Regional from July 21 - July 28, 2017. This will be my journal of one of my umpiring dreams coming true. I am so honored to be able to be out on the field. If I have half as much of an experience as I did in Irvine in 2013, this is something I am going to want to remember.
I have already been helping at the softball tournament for a couple years now as an announcer and helping out on the trash crew. Come the baseball tournament, I'll be back on the trash crew helping out but for a week, I get to wear the jersey and do my baseball passion. I look forward to working in the heat (especially now that it's raining and 40 degrees outside on the second day of winter.) I look forward to sleeping in the umpire quarters. I look forward to having an umpire jersey with a number on the sleeve. I look forward to a new umpire pin. I look forward to new and renewed friendships. I look forward to hanging out with Uncle Alan.
Time to start going through the checklist. #1 on that checklist has to be lose weight or else the summer heat is going to beat me up. After that, we'll see what happens.